Tina Culver and her mother Teresa Bowles will continue to work with new owner Virginia Gerrish (center). Two decades ago, Ms. Bowles built an addition that doubled the building’s size. Longtime customer Phyllis Teague talks with Ms. Gerrish during a visit to the shop Wednesday. Under the same ownership for 33 years, the downtown Warrenton flower and gift shop Designs by Teresa changed hands last week. Teresa Bowles on Oct. 31 sold the 7 Main St. building and .08-acre lot that contain the business to Virginia and Dave Gerrish of Warrenton for $1.3 million. Ms. Bowles and the Gerrishes declined to say if the real estate sale price includes the value of the business. For tax purposes, the county assessed the Old Town property at $654,700. Ms. Bowles listed it at $1.6 million. The couple first considered buying the business and property about two months ago, Mrs. Gerrish said. For several reasons, the opportunity seemed like a good fit, she said. “We were looking for some kind of family business to get involved in,” she explained. “And, this became available. For us, it just felt right. I’m a high-energy person — always volunteering and helping. This is a good way to channel my energy.” Their decision to acquire Designs by Teresa also would ensure that a family-owned business remained just that, Mrs. Gerrish said. To the educated and trained preservationist, the 1890s Italianate structure held special appeal, she said. “We love the building and live in an old house on High Street,” explained Mrs. Gerrish, who earned a bachelor’s degree in historic preservation from the University of Mary Washington and serves on the town and county architectural review boards. The approximately 7,000-square-foot brick-and-stucco structure also represents a “good investment,” she said. Mrs. Gerrish anticipates no big changes for Designs […]
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Travis Rigby is a publisher and entrepreneur focused on growing the floral industry through media, data, and product innovation. With a journalism background from the University of Utah, he founded and led PosterGarden.com for 27 years before transitioning into floral publishing. Today, Travis is the publisher of Florists’ Review, one of the industry’s most historic and influential titles, which he relaunched in 2026 with a focus on rebuilding its audience and transforming it into a modern data-driven platform for advertisers and readers alike. At Florists' Review Media, he oversees a portfolio of floral brands including Florists’ Review, SuperFloral, Canadian Florist, Flora (UK), Australian Florist, and LivingFlowers.com.
